Telegraph



(Nq M odeL) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- A. F. & F. B. JOHNSON.

SECRET PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

a. No. 253,062. Patented Jan. 31,1882.

Fig.1

Li u

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet-2.

A. 1?. & f'. B. JOHNSON. SECRET PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

No. 253,062. Patented Jan. 31,1882.

gm I Map/a flaw-M 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

A. P. & F. B. JOHNSON.

SECRET PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

No. 253,062. Patented Jan. 31,1882.

651F671 fans:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEQ ALBERT JoHN soN Ann FRAINK B. JOHNSON, BRooKLYn, N. ASSIGN- oRs TO THE JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, on SAME PLACE.

' SECRET-PRINTING TELEGRAPH srncrnrcsrrolvrormie part of Letters 1 atent'No.'253,062, datedJainuary 31, 18 82.

. Application filed August16,1881. Newe t).

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that we, ALBERT F. Jo NsoN and FRANK B. JOHNSON, ci tizensof the United States, residing in the city of Brooklyn, in the 5 county of Kings-and State of New York, have v jointly invented new and useful Improvements in Instruments for Receiving and Printing Secret Telegraphic Dispatches and we hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and ex- :0 not descriptionthere'of, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, (in three sl1eet.s,') which form a part of this specification.

This invention relatesto improvements in instruments fdr receiving and printing telegraphic dispatches. 7

- It consists-in certain novel devices and combiuations of mechanism, hereinafter particularly described, for receiving, printing in ordinary alphabetical-characters,and sealing up the dispatch in such a manner that the contents or purport of the message cannot be ascertained by a person in charge of said machine, orwho may be watching the same while these operations are being performed. These said devices and combinations of mechanism constitute what we have termed the receiving-machine in thespecification of our improved system of transmitting secret messages by electromagnetic telegraph, filed simultaneously herewith and marked A. p

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of themachine; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same Fig. 3, an elevation of the, opposite-side; Fig. at, an end 3 5 vicw with portions left off; Fig. 5,a1ongitndinalsection on the line mm; and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views hereinafter described.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the several figures.

KKKK represent a series of binding posts secured upon the base R, which supports and holds the working. parts, and which may be of suitable form and dimensions. of themachine, which may also be of suitable form. The binding-posts K K K K are connected by wires with the electro-magne'ts o o o 0 respectively, and with the transmitting- -mac inc, and with the positive pole of the bat'- tery at the station from which'the message is Iis'the frame sent, as fully set forth in the specification A above mentioned.

' W is a binding-post connected with a series of insulated posts on the transmitting-machine, and thence with the said battery.

G is a paper strip upon which the message is to be printed. The messagefisprinted in ordinary alphabeticalcharacters, together with numerals (when required) and punctuationmarks, transversely across the paper strip as thelatter is fed longitudinally through the machine.

In the drawings the machine is represented. as being adapted to printlineshaving eighteen letter-spaces each; but it will be understood that the strip may have a larger or smaller number otIlettcr-spaces on each line, in which case the mechanism that operates the transverse movements of the type-wheel must be changed correspondingly; and we may hero state that one letter-space is left vacant between the last letter of one word and the first letter of the next.

As set forth in said specification A, weordina-rily employ the three special machines in our system-via, the preparing-machine, the 7 5- transmittingmachine, and the receiving-machine, herein described; but that -the transmitting-machine and the indented strip of paper maybe dispensed with when the author of the message himself sends it through the instruments by the use ofua modification described in specifications A and B, and in order to avoid prolixity, we shall in this description is made synchronous with the, movement of the letter-wheel just'mentioned by the pulsa tious of the armature of the magnet 0 which operates a pallet that is pivoted to the said armature, and which rotatesa toothed wheel, t fixed on the shaft t, one tooth at each stroke pivoted to the armature of the magnet-,-

which rotates a toothed whe'ehp, one to'ot-h at each stroke of said armature, the said wheel 10 being fixed upon the same shaft as is the pulley p, to which latter one-end of a cord or wire, p is attached, which at its other end is attached to the end of the shaft t. To the other end-of the, shaft. t a cord is attached, which passes over a pulley, t, and is then secured to a spring, i which latter retracts the said shaft when the type-wheel has reached theend of each line. The ends of the shaft t are each provided with a swivel, so thatrthe shaft can rotate without twisting the cord. c

The-devices for liberating the pulley 1), so that the spring can draw back the type-wheel, are, as follows: Upon the same shaft as the wheel 11 and pulleyp'is fixed another toothed wheel, 10, and a lever, p pivoted near its rear end to an upright post-,1), is provided at its front end with a pawl, which engages with the teeth or the wheel 10", and holds it, aswell as the wheel 10- and pulley'p, while the pawl g which rotates the wheel 10, and which is pivoted to' the armature, is retracted. These wheels and the pulley make only about half-revolu: tions, the wheel 11 having twice the numherof teeth that there are letter-spaces in each line of printing; and whenever .the type-wheelt has been moved transversely to the extreme end of a line a pin fixed upon the. pulley p, or upon the wheel 1), strikes a pin, 19*, secured to the lever p and thereby releases both wheels and the pulley and permits the spring 13 to draw back the shaft t, upon which the type-wheelie fixed, sothat thelatter is brought into position to commence another line. A

- spring-catch, 10 secured to the post 11', holds the lever 10 while the wheel isbeing retracted. Any equivalent devices to those above mentioned may be employed to run back the typewheel when a line has been completed and bring itinto position to commence the next line.

, The strip G, upon .which'the message'is printed, is wound upon aspool or reel'placed at the upper part of the frame. Its end is then passed over a bar or roller, wa and between the type-wheel t and theplaten orimpressing, roll a, and thence between a pair of, feedrollers, q g and thence toa quillor short cylinder, q, to which latter it is gumined, and upon. which it iswoundas the printing of the message proceeds. The feed-rollers q g arerotated'by the armature of-the magnet o bymeans ,ot' a toothed wheel, 12, secured to the'cnd of the lower roller, qflwhich is rotated one tooth at each stroke of the said armature through the medium of a lever, 13, which is pivoted at one end to the said armature, and to the other 'en'dot which is pivoted a pawl, 14, that engages withthe teeth of the wheel 12. The upper roller, g is journaled at each end to a pair ofs'pring-arms, 15,'one of which is secured to each-side of'thc frame of the machine, and which produce a sufficient degree of friction between the rollers to insure the paper strip being fed forward with regularity the space between two lines of printing at each stroke of the armature of the magnet 0. The quill g is inserted between the two ends of a divided shaft, 6. having hearings in thearms 7 at'each side of the frame, and-is held by the pressure of flanges 8 8, provided at the ends of the said shaft, so that it rotates with them. This press outer ends, and are each provided with a small longitudinal ridge or projection, which fit into and under shallow transverse grooves formed in each portion of the shaft 6, as shown at z.

This shaft 6 is rotated by means of a pulley,

'11, secured upon one portion of the same,

which said pulley is driven by a corresponding pulley, 22, fixed upon the end of the lower roller, q, the band. being sufficiently slack to slip on the pulleys when the circumference of the roll on the-quill q increases, so that the action of the feedqollers q g shall not be affccted thereby.

a? The pl'aten or impressing-roller u issecured at the cadet a pivoted frame, 16, immediately I underneath the type-wheel, and is raised to press the strip Gfagainst the latter by the action of the armature of the magnet 0 at each [strokeof the said armature, the said frame 16 being connected to the'latter.

That portion of the strip G which extends between thetype-wheel and the quill q is entirely hidden from viewby means of aplate or shield, q,('shown most plainly in Fig. 5,)which extends across the frame and between the type-wheel and the quill, above the strip, and

is riveted "at each side to the spring-arms 15,

place. A second plate, 29, is" secured to the frame underneath the plate 9 over which former the strip travels.

17 represents a vibrating frame pivoted at one end to the frame of the machine, and carrying at its other end, which is made of thin spring metal, a mucilage-cup, 18, which latter is held directly-over the quill (1. This frame is operated by means of a hand-lever, 19, through the medium of a-wire rod, 20, secured atone end to the frame 17 and at its other end to the said 0 a aknife, 21, secured in the frame 17, down upon lever; and at the end of the message this cup 18 is depressed by means ofthe lever and caused to deposit a line of mucilage upon theprinted strip on the quill, after which the paper stripis fed longitudinally (as set forth in specification- A) to receive the address, and the said cup is then brought a second time in contact with the roll to seal the end of the printed strip. A longer stroke is made this second time, whichbrin gs the cutting-edge of the-:stripas it lies on theplate 29, and cuts off the portion containing the dispatch. The

printed message o'r'dispatch, thus rolled upon the quill and sealed, may then be taken from the machine, for which purpose the outer ends of the arms Bare spread apart to release the quill from the pressure of the flanges on the shaft 6, and the said quill then drops there-- from. The said arms 9may be thus spread apart by means of cords 23 and 23, attached one to eacharm, which, after being carried over pulleys 24 24, pivoted to arms extending from the frame of the machine, may be con nected and carried to any convenient point-,

and the requisite force applied thereto to overcome the spring 1-0 when. the dispatch is to be removed.

Bivoted to the arms 9, and operated thereby,

a-re two other pairs of arms, 25 and 26, one pair "above the other, the ends of which extend underneath the quill q. 'The upper pair, 25, move in'the same direction as the arms 9, and are for the purpose of supporting the quill while it is being clamped by the arms 9, and they also press against the strip a'sAit is being rolled upon the quill. The lower pair movc'in the opposite direction and catch the quill as it falls, so that it forms a support for the succeeding quill until placed in position. The quills successively fall into position from a rack or hopper, 30, secured to the frame of the machine.

From the above description it will beundersteed that the message is printed in ordinary alphabetical characters in lines running transversel y across the strip, while the latter is fed longitudinally through the machine; also, that the strip, after receiving the impressionsot' the type-wheel, is entirely hidden'from view until it is rolled upon the quill, and that the devices employed for concealing the printing are necessary to the operation of the machine; and,

also, that the dispatch is sealed up before it is taken from the machine. The several armatures of the magnets are suspended in the ordinary manner, and are provided with the usual check-screws and retractin g-springs, which do not demand special mention,'an'd to avoid erhwdiug the drawings are many of them not shown therein; and for the same reason parts are omitted from each of the figures. Fig. 6 represents a detached plan view of the quill in position,and Fig. 7 a plan view of the shield.

W hat, we claim as our invention is- 1. In a telegraph receiving-instrument provided with mechanism, as described, for feeding a stripof paper; through the same, the combination of a. shield or plate amanged in such manner as to conceal the said strip from view while it is being passed through the machine, a quill or cylinder upon which the said 'upon'whichthe said strip is received, wound,

and sealed, and mechanism, as described, for rotating'said quill and winding the message thereon, substantially as herein setforth and described.

ALBERTF. JOHNSON. FRANK B. JonNsoN.

Witnesses JOHN S. THORNTON,

J. OGDEN SMITH. 

